A dance of Fate and Doom
by Versastyles
Summary: This is the sequel to "A play of Dusk and Dawn". After their defeat and the loss of his father, Arthur is out for revenge. On the other hand Nimueh stumbles opon something that will change the Fate of Dusk and Dawn. Especially Arthur, Merlin, Morgana and Morgause. What is in store for our favourite couple is still in the stars
1. dance to the overture of Dawn

**Hi there. Sorry for my late update. I will try to update "Rise of the Emperor" too this week. Ok, well this is the sequel to "A play of Dusk and Dawn" so it does not make much sense to read this without reading it beforehand. I hope you will enjoy this fic as much as I do ^^ **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or any of their franchise. Furthermore I do not own any of the original Arthurian Saga. **

It took Arthur and his men two long and exhausting months to return to Camelot. The new king was beside himself for the whole journey back, his father's death still chipping away at his mind every moment he looked into the battered faces of his remaining soldiers. Once more did magic its abominable deeds, leaving those without it rendered useless in front of its cruel onslaught of overwhelming power. Since they marched from Camelot to conquer the lands of the Forge the former prince had this dark premonition that this will not go well. Even the encouraging words of his father could not dispel the doubt he had felt. Furthermore there was the presence of Morgana which has to be considered too. No one of the knights was comfortable to wage war against the Dusk knowing that the once beloved princess was in the confines of Namhilrok. But nothing could stop Uther from pressing on. It seemed like he was possessed with the idea to bring their enemies down, no matter the cost. So, soon after they crossed the border, surprisingly messages of raids upon their own villages reached the army, which threw their leader into a predicament. Uther was forced to dispatch a huge amount of his soldiers to deal with the assaults since it was clear that if they did not take action their supply route would be cut and their advance would come inevitably to a halt. Without food and water no mortal army can put up a fight, so securing their vital provisions was paramount. Thereby the military strength of the main army got tremendously lessened, leaving them with only two thirds of their initial manpower. As the armies clashed their decreased numbers did not strike Arthur as much as a disadvantage as he thought. The bravery and vigour of Camelot's soldiers was more than enough to compensate the lack of additional men. Even the disarray caused by the suddenly appearing walls of fire did not as much damage to their moral as what happened thereafter. In hindsight, what actually cost them the battle was his father's reckless charge after his eyes beheld the figure of his very own daughter fighting alongside the enemy. Arthur could only watch with his blue orbs widened in horror as unnatural lightning pierced the chest of his father, knowing that he was dead before the body of the royal hit the ground. This was the turning point as all hell broke loose once the message of the king's death reached every last soldier of the Alliance. Arthur himself was too shocked to assume control of the battlefield so he just followed his trusted knights who pulled the blond between their formation to guard him. The former prince, now king, was sitting on his throne with a golden goblet filled with wine in his right hand. He was alone or so he thought as Arthur perceived a voice as clear as the one talking to him was standing right next to him.

"It does not befit a king to loose himself in his own lament."

The king jumped from his seat, his once clouded, darkened eyes were filled with caution and perceptiveness once again. A trait which was only able to be gained by years of training and fighting experience. As his eyes wandered around but were not able to locate the holder of the voice, Arthur replied to the bodiless voice.

"Show yourself!"

"I would, if I was not chained to a rock beneath the castle."

Arthur hissed at these words. He heard about the binding of the golden dragon from his father and it soon became his favorite story. It incited his interest and it was the first time that Arthur Pendragon read books out of free will. One could say that he became an expert concerning the "Draconian Times". So the former prince instantly knew who he was dealing with. His emotions were a torrent of excitement, awe, fright, dismay and hate. Hate because the dragon used magic to communicate with him, the one thing who took his father and in a sense Morgana from him. He was now all alone, left with the shatters of war which were left behind by Uther.

"What is it you want from me, dragon? I have no business with your kind."

They golden creature roared a chuckle before he proceeded.

"I am the last of my kind, but I suppose you were talking about those with magic. But let me assure you, I know the numbing feeling of grieve and the burning inside which is caused by the wish for revenge. And I have a bargain in mind which will profit the both of us. Come down to my cave and I will reveal to you the means to grasp what you wish for."

Arthur snorted a "fine", being well aware of the fact that this could go either terribly wrong or work perfectly into his hands. He did not know but Arthur was sure that he would take the risk. Therefore he hastened towards the caverns beneath Camelot. He ordered the guards to leave before he opened the door which was the only barrier between him and the mighty magical creature. With every step the nauseous feeling in his gut grew worse and worse. As the blond finally reached the small platform in front the giant rock a strong gust of wind hit his face and the young king was left motionless as the imposing figure of the winged beast descended upon him, while the metallic clattering of the chain resonated throughout the dragon lair.

"That was rather fast. I like the eagerness in your eyes."

"I am here because you offered me the means to make my wishes come true and not for idle chat."

Arthur snapped at Kilgharrah, but the dragon did not even flinch before he roared his words.

"You are right. I have a bargain for you. I will give you a sword which will give you what you need, if you will free me from my chains."

"That is impossible. I know the stories about the Draconian Times and I know that the chain which binds you to this rock cannot be broken."

"There is a way. Do not think I was sitting here for two decades doing nothing. I just need your help in executing it, since I am not able to do it alone."

"I do not think I can accept this deal. I cannot risk that Camelot and its people will be the target of your wrath once I have set you free."

"Do not worry. My wrath was with Uther, not with you or Camelot. I promise that I will do no harm to the Alliance."

Arthur cringed inwardly as the dragon mentioned his deceased father but soon regained his composure.

"It is hard for me to believe your words but I will trust in your promise. So what is it I have to do?"

The mighty beast chuckled before it opted to speak again.

"First you will have to make a choice. The spell can take form in two unique swords, each with its own properties. One form is called ´Excalibur´, fate of immortality. It has the power to strike down any foe who dares to step in front of it, disregarding if it is mortal, dead or just an object, like the chain which binds me.

The other form is called ´Caliburn´, doom of magic. It has the power to undo any magic and furthermore make any magic directed at its bearer void. With this ability you can dispel the unbreakable characteristics of the chain and I can break free.

Now choose wisely, young king, since it depends more than your destiny alone on your choice."

Kilgharrah gave the former prince a knowing smile, expecting his answer.

Little did Arthur know that what the dragon was implying with his last sentence was not the Alliance´s destiny alone like the new king thought, but the whole of Albion.

After some pondering the blond raised his head in order to lock his gaze with the winged beast. He opened his mouth to let the dragon hear his resolute voice.

"The sword I choose is the one which resembles the resolve of my ancestors. I choose Caliburn."

"And so it shall be. Lift your sword, Arthur and I shall grant you your wish."

The king of Camelot did as the dragon said and beheld the scenery in front of him in awe as Kilgharrah casted his magic. The blade was engulfed in his fiery breath. What for Arthur felt like minutes took actually only the blink of an eye and as the spell was finished the sword dug itself into the ground in front of Arthur. He marvelled at the weapon. Its golden hilt was not the most remarkable of its features, no, what really struck the former prince's eye was the perfect pitch black blade.

"This is Caliburn. I kept my part of the bargain now it is time to stay true to your word."

"Of course."

Arthur nodded as his hand grasped the hilt of his new sword, feeling a slights chill coming from it, before he pulled it out of the stone. As the blond moved towards the chain Kilgharrah started to shiver in anticipation and after the black blade made contact with the enchanted chain it broke apart like it was nothing more than a rusty piece of metal to the sharpness of Caliburn.

The golden dragon let out a deafening roar as he started to soar towards the skies after twenty years of confinement, leaving an awestruck king behind.

Beyond the Bruvile-Chain: The untamed lands

Two months passed since Nimueh left Merlin´s side. She thought if she distances herself far enough from him her emotions would settle but to no avail. Even the peace provided by the untamed lands did not change anything. This rural place beyond the massive mountain-chain was said to be uninhabited but much to Nimueh's horror the opposite was the case. The pure-blooded witch was resting in an enclave where a little waterfall was continuously producing its relaxing sound and white, yellow and blue wildflowers were adorning the surrounding area. It was one of the rare moments for the archon of the Ancient Cult where her mind did not think of the prince of Dusk and she was rather furious as she perceived something what sounded like actual speech. Cursing at it but still being intrigued by this abnormal phenomenon Nimueh decided to figure out whom or what was producing the all too familiar sound. As she reached the top of a hill the witch was frozen in her tracks because what she beheld was a big camp made out of tents like the ones her fellowmen and -women use to set up too. As her gaze started to wander around she noticed a shrine not too far off and as it seems the voices were coming from this direction. Gulping hard and stealing her resolve Nimueh decided to pry further. She soon reached the close perimeter of the shrine and she was now able to see ten people in total sitting around a round table made of stone. The things which Nimueh was now about to hear would throw her into quite the predicament as the youngest of them started to speak after he was asked what he wanted to say by a much older man wearing the same brown robe as every one of those ten did.

"After we discussed the usual matters, it was Mordred´s wish to state a request. Please go ahead."

"I thank you. My request was conjured by the recent events on the mainland. We have watched and stood by doing nothing long enough. There will never be peace for Albion if we do not interfere. We have to combine our forces and establish a supreme rule over Dusk and Dawn. Only our wisdom and benevolent rule will bring us the golden times we were promised a long time ago. Therefore we have to eradicate the ruling houses of Namhilrok and Camelot, Caerfyrddin and Pendragon. If they have no one to follow anymore the will turn to us and we will bring them the long awaited peace."

The other nine men nodded and once again it was the oldest one who started to speak again.

"Your words are as noble as they are drastic. I will give your request open for vote. Each of you who think our time to fight has come, please raise your staff. Each of you who think that we shall wait for a better opportunity, please stay still. The vote is now open for the round."

It did not even take five seconds for eight staffs to get raised and realization crept its way into Nimueh's mind. The mages of the untamed lands will invade the mainland and their goal is Merlin´s and Morgause's life. She had to warn them. As the witch was leaving the shrine she was still able to hear their voices but she was not able to understand what they were talking about anymore. As Nimueh made sure that no one was around she readied herself to use the teleportation spell Merlin taught her along their journey together and as soon as she thought about him, his face appeared in her mind. She hesitated.

_How am I supposed to do this? I cannot simply appear out of nowhere and tell him his life is in danger, when I am currently the epitome of his impending death._

Nimueh shook her head to clear it from these thoughts. What she had to do now was more important than anything else. She has to warn the love of her life, disregarding how he might react.

_And she. I do not even want to know what Morgause will do to me, not to mention Morgana._

Nimueh shuddered and let go of a deep sigh before she vanished into a vortex of colours.

**A/N**

**So much for the first chapter. Sorry for the lack of Mergana but be assured their will be lots of it later on. Hope you will once again stick with me and my story and cya next chapter.**

**Versastyles.**


	2. crescendo of Dusk

**A/N: Ok, well … RL is all I can say. I am sorry for the long wait and I will have to say that I will most likely be able to only update this once a month but I will do my best since holidays are coming I will have a new chapter ready before New Year's Eve.**

It was on the plains close to the high dark walls of Namhilrok where suddenly out of thin air an anomaly occurred. The place started to contort into a vortex of colour and out of it came a pitch black haired woman wearing a red dress with a high cut along her left leg reaching daringly close towards her hip. Nimueh took a deep breath surveying the scene depictured in front of her clear blue eyes, a current of emotion starting to make itself known as she felt that thin moist lines appeared on her cheeks. Shaking her head to get clear again, she dried her tears with the hem of her dress and headed onwards to the gates of Namhilrok, a place where she was most likely regarded as some kind of public enemy after word got out that their beloved prince's life lies within her grasp. But what she encountered Nimueh was not prepared to, since as she was at the gate the wards regarded her with a warm smile and welcomed her back into the city.

"_Strange," _thought the archon of the Ancient Cult "_did not Merlin tell them about our deal?_

_Why would he not tell them? That does not make any sense. But for now that makes everything a lot easier than I expected."_

So as Nimueh manoeuvred through the cheerful crowd she could not help herself but ask why. The war ended about two months ago, so the festivities should have long ended. Therefore she interrogated the next giggling couple she saw to provide the answers to feed her curiosity.

"Can you tell me why everyone is in such a festive mood? I thought the war ended two months ago and the celebration would have long ended but I could be wrong."

The couple shared an affectionate smile before they turned their attention towards Nimueh.

"You are not wrong. The feasts which commemorated our victory against the Alliance ended a long time ago. This is to celebrate the upcoming marriage of our prince and future princess, Merlin and Morgana. Word was spread throughout the whole kingdom, so it is kind of unexpected that you did not hear about it. This marriage is the top gossip topic in town."

The mighty witch stood there frozen, her eyes unfocused, her brain doing work a mile an hour to process this newest piece of information which left her feeling numb inside. Merlin was going to be married and to Morgana no less. Emotions which were easily suppressed in the solitude of the Untamed Lands were now surfacing one after another. Her love for the prince had taken a fierce grip around her heart and it did not let loose ever since she fell for him. Nimueh's torso heaved in a fast rhythm and she had to consciously bite down on her lower lip to stop its relentless quivering, the giggling couple long gone as the young archon was able to compose herself again after some time.

"_I cannot let this happen. Not as long as I have this feelings. His life belongs to me... yes that is right, he belongs to me and he is mine to take."_

Reassuring herself Nimueh started to head towards the castle. Nobody even tried to stop her on the contrary they all greeted her with big smiles on their faces and on some occasions thanked her for her support against king Uther and Camelot. She hastened her steps almost running down the corridors which she got familiar with the time she spent here until she reached the throne room. Panting her hand reached towards the handle on the door just to stop only inches before her skin made contact with the cold iron.

"_Why am I hesitating? Why am I so afraid to see him again when it is all I want? Why will my body not move?"_

With widened eyes Nimueh watched her outstretched hand shaking as though she was drenched in ice water. Therefore she pulled all her will into steadying her right hand with her left and slowly guided it towards the handle. On touch she released a breath before pushing the wooden door open. Four familiar faces greeted her, all with a different expression showing on their face. Lancelot gifted her with a bright smile, Morgause eyelids disappeared under her long wavy blond hair, Morgana was eyeing her with a deadpan stare and Merlin's expression was a mixture of being happy and worried at the same time. Also it was Merlin who started to speak first, his voice without any hostility as his cerulean eyes locked with hers.

"Nimueh? I thought you vanished after the fight. We did not receive any message after your sudden departure. Where were you?"

The pitch black haired witch could not believe her ears.

"_Why is he lyi… Of course, it all makes sense now. The reason why I did not encounter any enmity, why nobody was stopping me. He did not tell them anything. But why?"_

"Well…", Nimueh tried to stall time before she decided to go with the truth, sort of.

"After the fight I had exhausted almost all of my power and I needed some space to recuperate myself. To where I was and why you did not receive and message is that I visited the Untamed Lands and it was kind of difficult to find a capable courier there."

"You could have sent us a raven or something."

Morgause's warm, melodic voice stated that as matter of fact. Nimueh responded with a likewise honeysweet smile adorning her face.

"Now that you mention it …", the high archon started to answer but left the rest unfinished.

"Well it does not matter. I think we are all happy that you are back in Namhilrok since Merlin and Morgana are going to get married and I am sure you did not want to miss that."

Lancelot exclaimed, while involuntarily stepping on a landmine

"You are right, I would not like to miss this for anything in the world."

The witch in the red dress responded not quite able to take all of her edge out of it. All the while Morgana was standing next to Merlin holding his hand and staring at her counterpart, still the same deadpan expression on her face before a smirk made itself visible.

"Then please give me the honour to invite the high archon of the Ancient Cult personally to our ceremony."

"Why thank you, my lady. I most certainly will attend the wedding. But before we talk more about the upcoming festivities I want to speak to Merlin since he is the reason a came here in the first place."

As no one was moving Nimueh added an "in private, if you do not mind".

Morgause and Lancelot nodded and headed towards the door without asking any questions. Only Morgana stayed a little longer giving Merlin a quick peck on his lips before she caught up to her soon-to-be-sister-in-law and the commander of the Black Sword Order. After the wooden door closed Nimueh chanted a short spell immediately silencing any sound coming from this room to make eavesdropping impossible.

"I can take a guess why you are here, but why did you wait so long to come back?"

She showed a saddened smile knowing what he thought she was here to do.

"Do you remember the last words I have spoken to you before I vanished to the Untamed Lands?"

Her gaze was holding a mixture of inquiry and hope. Also she could see how Merlin's expression was gradually softening before he gave her a response.

"You told me that you loved me."

"Love, present time."

The witch's voice boomed through the throne room in slight anger.

"Can you imagine how I felt as I had to behold you killing Uther, what it meant to me to see the one you love breaking the deal. I was over two months in emotional turmoil at how to cope with everything while you occupied nearly every waking moment in my mind. Desperate I played every possible twist and turn through my mind and finally found a way out. That is you do not have to pay me with your death but nonetheless the price is your life Merlin and it now belongs to me."

The young warlock had long since broken his eye contact with her, not able to stand the raw emotion displayed in her indigo orbs.

"No I cannot. I am sorry and …thank you."

He mumbled his apology still staring at the ground. The high archon let out a sigh and with it also her built up anger.

"Now let me tell you why I am here in the first place. While I was in the Untamed Lands I stumbled upon a meeting between the head druids there. I did not listen to everything they said but I certainly got the main part. Merlin, they are going to invade the lands of Dusk and Dawn. Furthermore they are planning to kill the respective ruling houses of Namhilrok and Camelot that is you Merlin and I will not let this happen. Therefore I came here to bring you along with me and keep you safe. There will be no discussion. My decision is final, so go and pack your things." 

To say that Merlin was completely flabbergasted would be an understatement. This was definitely too much to take in one go. Hence the raven haired man was now standing there with his eyes wide open and an otherwise vacant expression on his face waiting for someone to tell him this was all a dream. They stood in the throne room for some minutes in utter silence before Nimueh opted to open her mouth.

"Are you com…"

She was not able to end her sentence since the young warlock suddenly began to spout out all his thoughts at once.

"I have to warn Morgana and my sister. They are in danger too and I have to rally our defences. Why do they have to attack right after Camelot? I have to find more people with sufficient magic. I…I…"

He was already heading towards the door before he got stopped by a hand on his shoulder and turned around.

"What do you think you are doing? No matter how hard you try this time around there is no way to win. Their people are powerful and train in the arts of magic since they were born unlike here where only one in ten magical gifted people has even decent enough magic to produce a spark. They will overpower us with their enormous magical capacity."

"But I have to at least try and do something. I have to warn my sister so that the Forge does not get hit unprepared. I cannot leave my people behind in the time of need."

"And that is where you are wrong. Your life is mine and it is for me to decide what you are going to do. We will of course warn Morgause but after that you are coming with me and no talking back."

"But …"

Before Merlin was able to protest he could hear a voice in his head and by Nimueh's reaction she could hear it too.

"**Young warlock and witches of Namhilrok meet me at the clearing to the east. We need to talk."**

"Who was that?"

Nimueh asked a little bit shocked that someone was able to use telepathy at this range.

"Kilgharrah…"

The raven haired sorcerer spoke with a voice of utter disbelief since he had no idea who would have freed the dragon.

"The last dragon Kilgharrah? I thought he was chained underneath Camelot to never see a ray of sunlight again."

"It seems like he got free. Somehow. Come we need to find him. I am sure with his help we are able to avert this invasion."

The high archon was still in wonder and just nodded and followed after the prince of Namhilrok. It did not come as a surprise as they found Morgana and Morgause also waiting at the clearing.

"So you two heard the voice too?"

The blond and the midnight haired one nodded in affirmation before a strong gust of wind redirected their attention to the direction of the source. A humongous golden dragon landed before them.

"**I can see that you all heeded my call."**

Kilgharrah's voice roared through the clearing lightly startling the human quartet since it was the first time they were in the presence of a dragon.

"**I am here to warn you. A great power is gathering in your so called Untamed Lands and it is nothing you alone will be able to face. There will only be hope if you unite with your enemy with Camelot. Together your nations will be able to stand against the onslaught of the druids."**

"Why are you even telling us? What is your gain?"

Leave it to Morgause to be sceptical of the dragon.

"**That, little queen, is an easy question to answer. I did not regain my freedom in this world to see it burn and enslaved. Even though magic would rule the lands of Albion as a whole again the aftermath of this ordeal would leave these lands hollow and worn out for centuries to come. Therefore I am here to offer you my help, in an indirect manner since I am not able to join you in battle for reasons I cannot reveal."**

"You forget that I am a dragonlord Kilgharrah. I can bend you to my command if I so wish and if it is true what you are saying, I am very tempted to do so."

Merlin had raised his voice to remember the last dragon of his power.

The winged beast narrowed his eyes at the young warlock's words before he opted to talk again.

"**Fine, I will tell you why I cannot help you. The reason why I am not able to support you is that the druids hold the loadstone of origin. It is a mighty relict to which every dragon's life is bound to by birth. It is also the source of our longevity and whoever holds it is able to decide over a dragon's life and death. So if they discover me on your side they will not hesitate to use the lodestone's power. Therefore I want to gift you with a special sword which will be able to stand against the druid's power. It is called Excalibur, fate of immortality and holds the power to strike down anything, be it dead or alive. Morgause if you would give me your sword I will be able to perform the ritual."**

After the war the people of Namhilrok were so thankful for their queen's leadership that the let their best blacksmith craft a sword to give it to Morgause as a present and as a sign of respect for her military prowess. She was holding on to it ever since, the sword proudly swaying at her hip in its black leathern scabbard. The blond queen hesitantly drew her sword from its sheath and let it levitate before the dragon. After that the human quartet had to shield their faces with their arms as the winged beast released its fiery breath, the sword now ablaze in the bright flames. After the continuous stream of fire stopped the temperature in the clearing dropped too and it felt like all the heat was sucked out of this place. But this was negligible as the golden sword Excalibur was shown to them, their eyes and mouths were now open in awe.

"**This is Excalibur and it is yours to wield Merlin. Only you possess enough power to bring it to its full potential. I will withdraw myself until everything is over. Be well."**

With the mighty sways of his wings the last of his kind set for the sky and was gone in a matter of seconds but not before he roared on last sentence for everyone in the clearing to hear.

"**Let the dance of Fate and Doom begin!"**

**A/N: Still no real mergana -.- I am sorry for that but this is going to change, promise ^^**

**Since I have no beta I am only able to correct it as much as that. So if you notice any grave mistakes please point it out to me. Cya, till next chapter, Versastyles. **


End file.
